The present invention relates generally to footwear, and in particular to footwear that combines an upper/midsole structure for maintaining the wearer's foot with a wrap around lacing system in conjunction with a floating anatomical member. The footwear is particularly suited to climbing, hiking, water sports and similar activities, although the invention is not limited to any specific type of footwear or activity.
Conventional footwear has two primary elements, namely the upper and the sole structure. The upper is often made from leather, synthetic materials or a combination thereof. The upper is attached to the sole structure, forming a void or receptacle in the interior of the footwear for receiving and securing the foot to the footwear. The sole structure traditionally includes multiple layers of material commonly referred to as the midsole and the outsole.
Traditional water sport footwear are boat shoes, sandals, and wet boots. Unfortunately, each of these types of footwear has drawbacks that can detract from the pleasure of water-related activities. Commonly, boat shoes have waterproof leather uppers combined with rubber soled bottoms. There are several drawbacks for the water sport participant when using waterproof leather in water sports. For instance, it is common for the wearer to fully submerge his or her foot and footwear in water, or come into contact with enough water to saturate the interior of the shoe. The in-shoe experience of the wearer is lessened in terms of comfort as perspiration and externally introduced water can saturate the skin, which, in turn, may lead to skin irritation, fungal infections or other problems, let alone general discomfort. Although the upper is able to provide protection and the rubber outsole can provide traction on slippery, wet surfaces, the regulation of the in-shoe climate is limited due to the properties of the upper material as well as a lack of ventilation. This can make for a hot and unpleasantly wet foot experience.
In contrast to boat shoes, known water sport sandals offer the benefit of air circulation. However, such sandals typically do not provide the protection, stability or traction of a boat shoe. Wet boots have a rubber and neoprene construction that offers protection from sand, stones, sharp objects and cool water. Wet boots may be suitable for beach walks and water activities such as surfing. However, this conventional construction is not suitable for trekking in wet or hot environments. Neither is it suitable for use on slippery surfaces. Furthermore, known wet boots do not offer durability, traction or stability for rough terrain. Moreover, once water enters into a wet boot, it is difficult to evacuate the water without removing the wet boot from the wearer's foot. Furthermore, traditional footwear for water related activities are typically not configured to protect the instep region of the wearer's foot. As used herein, the term “instep region” refers generally to the instep region of the foot, and is not intended to be limited to any particular anatomical features. For instance, the instep, metatarsals, phalanges, and ankle may all be included in the instep region. These and other anatomical features may be in need of particular protection depending upon the function and use of the footwear.
Sporting activities such as hiking and climbing may place special demands on footwear. For instance, footwear adapted for hiking, climbing or other outdoor active wear use should be flexible and durable. It should provide sufficient insulation and traction, even when the wearer is in an extreme environment. For instance, canyoneering may require the wearer to utilize many different parts of his or her foot to support and/or stabilize the body when climbing. Thus, the footwear should provide traction not only along the sole, but elsewhere as well. Canyoneering may involve many different activities and skills, each of which could individually be enhanced by use of the invention herein, including walking, climbing, scrambling, wading through streams or waterfalls, and even swimming. Thus, footwear utilized while canyoneering must address a wide variety of conditions, functional uses and surfaces. Furthermore, proper protection of the foot, pressure distribution and in shoe security are also very important, for instance about the instep and other regions of the foot and leg.
Therefore, a need exists for new types of footwear suitable for climbing, hiking, walking, scrambling and water-related activities and wet environments to overcome these and other problems.